Senior IPS officer Rajiv Singh has assumed charge as Secretary (Security) in the Cabinet Secretariat. He has been entrusted with this important responsibility after serving a challenging tenure as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Manipur. Singh is widely credited with reorganizing a deeply divided police force in the violence-hit state.
Last month, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved his appointment. The post of Secretary (Security) falls under the Cabinet Secretariat and exercises administrative control over the Special Protection Group (SPG), the elite force responsible for the security of the Prime Minister and his immediate family members residing at the official residence.
A 1993-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Tripura cadre, Rajiv Singh has succeeded Parag Jain, who currently serves as the chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and had been holding additional charge of the post since November 12 last year.
Credited With Rebuilding a Divided Police Force During Manipur Crisis
After serving as Inspector General (Operations) in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Singh was sent to Manipur on June 1, 2023. A month earlier, on May 3, large-scale ethnic violence had erupted between the Meitei and Kuki communities following a Tribal Solidarity March.
The violence has claimed 260 lives so far and displaced thousands of people.
When Rajiv Singh took charge, the 45,000-strong Manipur Police force had become severely divided along ethnic lines. Personnel belonging to the Meitei community had moved towards the Imphal Valley, while Kuki personnel had relocated to the hill districts for safety.
Nearly 1,200 police personnel were absent from duty, and serious questions were being raised about the force’s neutrality. To address the crisis, Singh implemented several unconventional administrative measures. He traced and reintegrated more than 1,150 missing personnel and allowed them to report for duty from locations where they felt secure.
In a unique initiative, he organized a joint passing-out parade for 304 newly recruited constables through videoconferencing. Recruits from both communities took their oaths from separate locations before being deployed to their respective safe zones.
Rajiv Singh also initiated strict action against the looting of police armouries, strengthened vulnerable checkpoints, dismantled cross-border militant bunkers, and ensured police protection for farmers working in sensitive areas.
Despite the deep communal divide that marked his tenure, Singh earned appreciation from various political and social groups across Manipur.
Manipur Chief Minister Khemchand Yumnam took to X to bid farewell to the former DGP and praised his contribution towards maintaining law and order, as well as strengthening peace and stability in the state.
Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen also commended Singh’s fair and balanced administration during one of the most challenging periods in the state’s recent history. She stated that despite intense communal tensions, Rajiv Singh remained transparent, impartial, and committed to fairness throughout his tenure.
